Hi, I’m a high schooler and I have some questions about college. If anyone can help answer them, I would really appreciate it!
Will being from a relatively small town on the west coast help me (even a little bit) get into a top east coast college? I’ve heard of this kind of geographic advantage but I’m not sure if it’s a myth…
I’m wasian but I have a “white” looking name. Since most of my interests are typically “Asian” steryotyped interests, like math, science, and piano, will it be a disadvantage for me to select both white and Asian for my ethnicity on the application (rather than just white)?
Are college counselors worth it? My family is not rich but if people really think it is worth it financially to get a college counselor, we might consider it.
For a top East Coast school, being from a small town doesn’t matter. in fact, it might hurt if your high school doesn’t have the rigorous classes of larger school districts.
Also, being Asian won’t help either. It’s been stated that Asian American applicants had lower odds of ultimately attending an Ivy-11 school than white applicants with similar academic and extracurricular qualifications. There has been bias in the past.
College is what you make of it. Go to a school where you will be given opportunities in the field you want& one where you’ll graduate with the least amount of debt. Take advantage of internships & leadership programs-network, network, network & Work during the summers.
I think there’s a lot of great information out there where you don’t need to hire a counselor. Get your parents involved& take advantage of the counselors& teachers at your high school. Remember that colleges are a business & they’re there to make money. Find schools with larger endowments & don’t look at the “sticker price” of tuition. Haggle.
Small town west coast won’t help to any significant degree, at “top” schools. They have plenty of west coast applicants. If you were from a small town in a truly underrepresented state, that might help a little, but nothing “west coast” is underrepresented.
Likewise, neither white nor Asian is underrepresented, so no combination of the two is going to “help” - plus, the SCOTUS decision has made admissions semi-race-blind anyway. What you “select” won’t matter. The only thing that could matter is if your racial/ethnic background has impacted your life in a significant way that comes through in your essays. But that would only be the case if your experiences have been unusual in some way, because the typical “west coast Wasian” experience doesn’t produce much essay fodder. (Speaking as the parent of two west coast Wasians myself - the forced “diversity” essays were an ordeal.)
In my opinion, a reasonably-priced coach who helps as a sounding board, guide, and accountability partner can make the process easier and save strain between student and parent, if you would like that kind of support. But high-priced counselors who make outlandish promises about getting you into fancy schools? No, not worth it.
School dependent. Schools want geographic diversity. Oregon or Idaho, etc. would be more “rare” than California…you say top east coast schools, but that could be anything as top means different things to different people. You can look at a schools common data set, section C7 to see how they rate Geographical Residence. Bowdoin, for example, considers it. If they have no students from Wyoming…they’d probably look closely at a student from Wyoming, etc.
Asian could be under represented at some schools but maybe not “top schools”. Either way, race no longer is a factor by check mark but can be slipped in via essays. But you be the best you - that’s not a reason to get in or not. But as far as ethnicity goes, it’s likely not going to be advantageous for you.
College counselor worth? That’s an individual call. You can do your own research or seek assistance at places like this. Others like hand holding. Some will not have a counselor but hire someone, like a teacher, to help edit essays, etc. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth it but I’m not you.
That you are capable of writing here - you might try the chance me method or match me - giving info about yourself, stats, interests, desires - and see what type of feedback you get or guidance in helping to build a list. There’s even an essay review opportunity here.
Hello. Good luck in this busy time that can be a bit fraught.
Small town is something that is tracked but not necessarily an advantage. Just like any other contextual factor, your achievements will be viewed relative to your environment. Small towns are not all alike, and top colleges will be looking for you to really shine and stand out wherever you are from, perhaps especially in a small town where there may be both less opportunity but also less competition.
Race-based admissions are illegal after the SCOTUS decision. However, the subsequent Coalition for TJ decision shows that race-neutral admission is not the result. As you allude to, your interests and accomplishments can correlate very heavily with race. It is possible that high SAT scores and grades as well as high personality / leadership characteristics correlate strongly with excellence in piano, math and science. Colleges limit the number of admits with common interests in the service of diversity. This can result in a de facto racial quota, but discussion of the politics thereto is not productive in this thread. Race aside, you will definitely compete with others with your same extra-curricular interests. That may be a difficult subset to compete in.
College counselors can be valuable if you can benefit or wish to pay for services to help you do the following: 1) create a workable schedule for all of the prep activities for college (testing, essay writing, identifying letter writers). 2) creating a college list (one that is broad enough to give you “likely’s” including schools that you may not be familiar with). 3) proofreading your essays and making sure that you are authentic and avoid known pitfalls. 4) preparing your application overall with a clear “narrative” of your background, accomplishments, goals and motivations that all fits together neatly. 5) providing you with lists of summer programs, providing summer research opportunities, helping you start a business or nonprofit, getting your literary or science work published. 6) keeping on top of you so that you / your parents are less burdened (like working out with a personal trainer vs. alone).
In a short informal sampling from Common Data Sets, out-of-state applicants were accepted at a rate 7% greater than that for in-state applicants. Even greater geographical diversity — such as might be defined by distance or region, as would be the case with you — might further increase your chances. The implications of these statistics comport with other information I’ve encountered. For this aspect to be impactful, however, the colleges to which you choose to apply will be key.
could make it about your mixed identity which might counteract the overrepresentation of pure white and pure Asian applicants (my strat as a wasian kid)
First…if you are in 9th grade…I would suggest you put college on the back burner for a year.
Will being from a relatively small town on the west coast help me (even a little bit) get into a top east coast college? I’ve heard of this kind of geographic advantage but I’m not sure if it’s a myth…
not likely this will matter
I’m wasian but I have a “white” looking name. Since most of my interests are typically “Asian” steryotyped interests, like math, science, and piano, will it be a disadvantage for me to select both white and Asian for my ethnicity on the application (rather than just white)?
ethnicity is no longer considered in college admissions.
Are college counselors worth it? My family is not rich but if people really think it is worth it financially to get a college counselor, we might consider it.
there are many free resources available to help you when the time comes. This site is a good place to get info. Also, college counselors come in a variety of forms and prices. I will say, if you are thinking that a college counselor will get you into certain colleges…that won’t happen unless you are well qualified anyway.
You might want to connect with the stars college network.
“The STARS (Small Town and Rural Student) College Network is a consortium of sixteen of the nation’s most prominent universities and colleges who are dedicated to working together to help students from small-town and rural America enroll in, succeed at, and graduate from the undergraduate program of their choice.”
